The Chain
The Chain is a term given to the system to organize the reign of the three Vampire Elders: Marcus Corvinus, Amelia, and Viktor. "The everlasting cycle of the Chain served two vital fuctions: first, as an ingenious power-sharing arrangement among the three Elders, avoiding conflict among them by ensuring that only one of them was in command in any given century; and second, to provide each Elder with a much-needed respite from the demands of eternity." -- Underworld novelization Description What the term itself actually represents is unclear although it is commonly assumed to mean the chronological order in which the Elders rule. Alternatively it refers to the chain of memories transmitted always from Elder to Elder, one memory for three, thus, Selene would be breaking the Chain by awaking an Elder herself more than by awaking him at the wrong time. The Chain follows a neverending rotary cycle which involves the three Elders taking turns in ruling over the Vampire Coven and their former Lycan slaves. By the end of the 14th Century it is seen to be established that while one rules the other two slumber in coffin-shaped tubes hidden within the various headquarters of the coven. According to the novelization of Evolution, a Vampire Elder enters hibernation via fasting. The Elder currently reigning keeps the slumbering Elders under close watch and heavily guarded, transporting them to other locations if necessary. During Viktor's reign, the other Elders were kept in the depths of the mountain beneath the castle but moved by ship to different Coven households, as seen in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. Every century a different Elder is awakened with a small amount of blood from the currently reigning Elder thus giving a detailed record of their reign, informing the awakening Elder of the times, through blood memories. History At what point the Elders agreed upon the Chain is not known apart from Viktor's claim to Selene in Underworld that the Elders have rotated for fourteen consecutive centuries. After Underworld, the cycle of hibernations was generally assumed to follow this simple pattern: *'600-700 A.D.' - 1st reign of Viktor *'700-800 A.D.' - 1st reign of Amelia *'800-900 A.D.' - 1st reign of Marcus *'900-1000 A.D.' - 2nd reign of Viktor *'1000-1100 A.D.' - 2nd reign of Amelia *'1100-1200 A.D.' - 2nd reign of Marcus *'1200-1300 A.D.' - 3rd reign of Viktor *'1300-1400 A.D.' - 3rd reign of Amelia *'1400-1500 A.D.' - 3rd reign of Marcus *'1500-1600 A.D.' - 4th reign of Viktor *'1600-1700 A.D.' - 4th reign of Amelia *'1700-1800 A.D.' - 4th reign of Marcus *'1800-1900 A.D.' - 5th reign of Viktor *'1900-2000 A.D.' - 5th reign of Amelia *'2000-2100 A.D.' - Intended 5th reign of Marcus However if dialogue in later films (and dates given in the novelizations) is to be believed this pattern is proven wrong. For example, Underworld: Evolution shows that all three Elders were awake at the same time in 1202 AD, witnessing William Corvinus being captured by the Death Dealers, the original Werewolf having just ravaged an entire village and turned several dead civilians. Marcus, who had been promised by Viktor that his brother would not be harmed, was betrayed by Viktor and Amelia to keep William and in turn Marcus himself under control. However, at what point the Elders agreed to hibernate when not reigning, whether at the Chain's inception or an added measure included centuries later, is also not known. If the latter, the hibernations may have been devised by Viktor and Amelia with the intention of keeping Marcus and William separate from each other forever. The cycle would seem to have followed something similar to the following pattern: *'1350-1410 A.D.' - 1st sole reign of Viktor "Enough! Have I not increased our holdings tenfold since Marcus and Amelia took their sleep?" ~Viktor"Nearly six centuries had passed since that night. Yet the ancient feud proved unwilling to follow Lucian to the grave." ~Selene"I've never underestimated Kraven's lust for advancement but Viktor believed him and that's all that matters." ~Kahn"This is his war. Viktor's. And he's spent the last six hundred years exterminating my species." ~Lucian"How many innocents have you slain in your six-century quest to avenge your family?" ~Alexander Corvinus *'1410-1450 A.D.' - 1st reign of Amelia (after 60 years in hibernation) *'1450-1500 A.D.' - 1st reign of Marcus (after 100 years in hibernation) *'1500-1550 A.D.' - 2nd reign of Viktor *'1550-1600 A.D.' - 2nd reign of Amelia *'1600-1650 A.D.' - 2nd reign of Marcus *'1650-1700 A.D.' - 3rd reign of Viktor"He was exiled over three hundred years ago." ~Selene"Tanis has been hiding here since Viktor's order." ~Selene off Andreas Tanis *'1700-1750 A.D.' - 3rd reign of Amelia *'1750-1800 A.D.' - 3rd reign of Marcus *'1800-1900 A.D.' - 4th reign of Viktor *'1900-2003 A.D.' - 4th reign of Amelia (after 150 years in hibernation) *'2003-2100 A.D.' - Intended 4th reign of Marcus (after 200 years in hibernation)"You've been awakened a full century ahead of schedule." ~Kraven"It is Marcus' turn to reign, not mine!" ~Viktor At the very end of Amelia's reign, the Chain was disrupted by Selene who awoke Viktor early to reveal the Vampire regent Kraven's treacherous alliance with Lucian. Amelia was then murdered by Lycans, and Viktor was killed by Selene via partial decapitation, completely ending the Chain with Marcus surviving, until his death too when he is sliced apart by the propeller blades of a crashed helicopter outside William's prison. If new Elders are chosen, the Chain may restart anew. Trivia *It is interesting to note that the Chain occurs in the order of V-A-M since those are the first three letters of the word Vampire as well as being the first letters of the elders' names consecutively. References Category:Mythology